Winter squash

“Winter squash” describes squashes harvested when mature, usually with firm rinds and seeds, rather than a single species or place of origin. Familiar forms—including butternut, acorn, delicata, kabocha, Hubbard, and many pumpkins—belong mainly to Cucurbita moschata, C. pepo, C. maxima, and C. argyrosperma.

These species have distinct histories in the Americas. C. pepo was domesticated independently in parts of Mesoamerica and eastern North America. C. moschata and C. argyrosperma are associated with tropical or subtropical regions of Mesoamerica, while C. maxima was domesticated in South America. Archaeological evidence shows that people cultivated squashes thousands of years before many now-familiar varieties appeared.

Early growers selected Cucurbita plants for less bitter flesh, edible seeds, useful containers, storage life, and eventually a remarkable range of shapes and flavors. Indigenous farmers integrated squash into varied agricultural systems and carried seeds through trade, migration, and exchange across the Americas.

After European contact, cultivated squashes traveled worldwide and were adapted to new climates and cuisines. Today winter squash is grown from California and the northern United States to Mexico, Europe, and Asia, but its deep agricultural roots remain entirely American.